Container for tape cassettes

ABSTRACT

A container for storing tape cassettes and including a case with an open front, a slide for endless drawer which fits into and slides out of the case, a spring biasing the drawer outwardly, a push button latch releasably retaining the drawer in closed position within the case, a retaining stop limiting outward movement of the drawer from the case, the drawer being cut away to allow the tape cassette to be manually gripped and removed from the drawer while the drawer extends partially from the case, the case having exterior slot and socket dovetail tracks for stacking adjacent cases one on the other and retaining adjacent cases side by side, the tracks being closed at the open front of the case to permit assembly and disassembly only in one direction.

United States Patent [191 Ackeret 1 CONTAINER FOR TAPE CASSETTES [75]Inventor: Peter Ackeret, Kusnacht,

Switzerland [73] Assignee: IDN Inventions and Development of NoveltiesAG, Lenzerheide, Switzerland [22] Filed: Aug. 27, 1973 [21] Appl. No.:391,962

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 328,015 10/1885 Davis 312/345 X 1,062,962 5/1913 Gaal312/319 X 3,532,211 10/1970 Gellert 206/387 Aug. 12, 1975 Marcolongo312/111 X Manheim 312/11 1 l/l97l 2/1972 [57 ABSTRACT A container forstoring tape cassettes and including a case with an open front, a slidefor endless drawer which fits into and slides out of the case, a springbiasing the drawer outwardly, a push button latch releasably retainingthe drawer in closed position within the case, a retaining stop limitingoutward movement of the drawer from the case, the drawer being cut awayto allow the tape cassette to be manually gripped and removed from thedrawer while the drawer extends partially from the case, the case havingexterior slot and socket dovetail tracks for stacking adjacent cases oneon the other and retaining adjacent cases side by side, the tracks beingclosed at the open front of the case to permit assembly and disassemblyonly in one direction.

42 Claims, 38 Drawing Figures PATENTED AUG I 21975 SHEET PATENTEB AUG 121975 SHEET Fig. 14

Fig. 15

PATENTEDAUEI 2|975 3, 899,229

SHEET 6 PATENTED AUG 1 21975 SHEET Fig. 19

PATENTEUAUBIZISYB 3,899,229

SHEET Fig. 25

1 Fig. 26

CONTAINER FORTAPE CASSE'I'IES The invention relates to a container foraccommodating a tape cassette.

Various forms of container for tape cassette are known or have beenproposed. The known containers all suffer from the disadvantage thatthey are very awkward to manipulate and/or that they are verycomplicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention aims at providing a tape cassettecontainer that does not suffer from the above-mentioned disadvantages,is simple to use and can be produced in a particularly simple manner. Itis intended for example that the cassette should be capable of beinginserted into the container or removed therefrom with only one hand,which feature can be of importance when operating a tape recorder in amoving car.

According to the present invention a container for a tape cassettecomprises a slide or endless slidably mounted in a case for movementbetween an outer, open position in which a cassette can be placed in orwithdrawn from the drawer and an inner, closed position, biasing meansbiasing the drawer towards the open position, stop means defining theopen position, and releasable catch means for holding the drawer in theclosed position, the sides of the drawer being at least partially cutaway so that a cassette contained in the drawer can be grasped andremoved therefrom.

The container can be so constructed that it is possible to place acassette in the drawer which is in the outer position and to move thedrawer into the case by finger pressure.

All that is required for removing the cassette is to operate the catch,whereupon the drawer is moved out of the case by the biasing means. Thecassette can then be removed from the slide with two fingers and can beplaced in a play-back apparatus.

Preferably the drawer comprises a front wall and a rear wallinterconnected by a base plate.

In this arrangement the front wall of the drawer preferably also servesto close off a narrow side of the case. This results in simplificationof the container, and in addition a surface for carrying written matteris available, this surface being presented to the user when the cassetteis being fitted into or removed from the container.

The base plate of the drawer may be provided with a slot which extendsin the direction in which the drawer is movable and in which engages aguide projection on the case for guiding the drawer. This can result ina particularly simple construction of the container combined with savingin material, and the sides of the drawer can be completely omitted sothat a cassette reposing in the drawer is particularly readilyaccessible.

Advantageously, the container may also be so designed that the rear wallof the drawer has at least one inner surface which slopes away from thebase plate, and the case may be provided, on the inner face of the wallopposite the base plate, with guide ribs which extend in the directionof movement of the drawer and which are arranged to provide location fora cassette disposed in the container.

In this way the introduction of a cassette into the container and itsremoval therefrom are considerably facilitated by the use of simplemeans. The guide ribs can be arranged to prevent the thicker part of astandard recording-tape cassette from striking the front edge of thecase with its own edge when it is being inserted into the case. On theother hand, cooperation between the inclined surface and the guide ribsresults in the eassette tilting away from the base plate out of thedrawer when the container is disposed vertically, so that the cassettecan be more easily removed. This can be of particular importance forexample when several containers with cassettes in them are so arrangedon a central bracket in a car such that the direction of movement of thedrawers are vertical.

The drawer and the case can be provided with an interengaging pin andslot, the slot extending in the direction of movement of the drawer andthe ends of the slot forming stops for the pin for the purpose oflimiting movement of the drawer. In this way a particularly simple formof stop for limiting movements of the drawer is obtained.

If the pin is chamfered at its forward edge, this enables the drawer tobe inserted into the case in a particularly easy manner. When the draweris being fitted to the case, the wall of the case in the vicinity of thepin and slot is deformed outwards by the inclined surface of the pin, sothat the latter can be readily introduced into the slot.

The base plate can be provided with tabs for engagement in openings inthe winding cores of a cassette.

In a particularly preferred form of construction of the container, thecatch means includes a leaf spring extending in the direction ofmovement of the drawer and having at or near its free end a tootharranged to engage a detent or recess, there also being provided a pushbutton by means of which the tooth can be disengaged from the detent orrecess. The push button may be let into the front of the drawer or oneof the side walls of the case.

The catch means so constructed is simple, occupies little additionalspace in the case and can be actuated by the use of only one finger.

The leaf spring, push button and tooth are preferably integral with thedrawer or the case and conveniently are of a plastics material.

In particular, the leaf spring, push button, and tooth are convenientlyintegral with the drawer, and the detent is formed by an aperture in thecase. In this way a construction of container is obtained which can beparticularly easily produced and which can be made in plastics materialby injection-molding and by using relatively simple molds, the containerconsisting of three simple parts, namely, the case, the drawer and thespring biasing means which can be assembled by simply inserting one intothe other.

It is also possible to provide the case with connecting elements fordetachably connecting it to an adjacent similar container to form ablock, these connecting elements taking the form for example of guidetracks facilitating sliding insertion. In this way several containerscan be interconnected in a simple manner, and this facilitatesaccommodation of the containers.

One slide track preferably takes the form of an elongate projectionhaving side faces chamfered to dovetail form and the other track cantake the form of a complementary recess, the two tracks extendingparallel to the direction of movement of the slide, and the recess beingformed in the projection on the case guiding the slide.

An arrangementof this kind results in additional saving in materialwhen. producing the container, and at the same time the wall of the caseis reinforced by the connecting elements; furthermore, when a number ofcontainers are stacked, the wall of one case is forced to occupy aposition parallel to that of the adjacent container and this is ofadvantage in promoting movement of the slide in the guide.

The spring for moving the slide out of the case may take the form of acoil spring formed about a notional core of elongate cross section.Alternatively, in view of the production costs of such a spring, it is,of course, more convenient to use a normal coil spring of circular crosssection together with provision for preventing buckling failure of thespring. In a further development of the invention, this is brought aboutby forming a guide channel of segmental cross section, or by providing asimilar guide channel on the inner side of the housing lying oppositethe base plate, or by employing both these features together. Neither ofthese solutions necessitates additional space and the materialconsumption is, in contrast, decreased.

It is desirable for it also to be possible to accommodate in thecontainer an index of contents. For this purpose there may be a labelinserted in the drawer and safeguarded against unintentional removal,preferably by stud-like mountings, which label can be read when thecontainer is either standing or lying flat as soon as the drawer isopened and the cassette is removed.

As mentioned above several containers may be joined together to form ablock, for which purpose joining means of the tongue and groove ordovetail type are provided. If a large number of containers are to bejoined together then this type of simple guide may no longer be adequateto impart sufficient stability to the block. Auxiliary tracks maytherefore be provided, adjacent to a main track which defines thepositioning, as close as possible to the margin of the large externalsurface of the case, which auxiliary tracks, with skilled constructionwhich is yet to be explained, in detail may be provided without causingundue complications in the production of the case by injection molding.When once attached, containers may be safeguarded against unintentionaldismounting in a manner similar to that described above for thelimitation of the drawer movement.

A widening of the possibilities of block formation is produced if thenarrow lateral surfaces of the container housing are provided with guidetracks or grooves, since in this case adjacent containers may also bejoined together in additional directions. It is naturally also possibleto provide means permitting vertical and horizontal stacking.

The guide tracks or grooves can furthermore be used to join an angularmounting element with the container or a block of containers, and themounting element can be attached in various ways, not only to a wall,to.

shelves or the like, but also, for example, to the dashboard of a motorvehicle. In a similar manner the guide means on the uppermost containercan be used to mount a carrying handle by means of which a stack ofcontainers may be comfortably carried.

Finally, several containers can be joined during manufacture to form agreater block; for example, five drawers may be provided one above theother in a shelf-like block housing. Even though the stability of such ablock will be no greater than that of five individ ual containersrigidly joined together, there is nevertheless a reduction in costs anda saving in material, because the housing walls associated with theseveral drawer guides no longerneed to be made of double thickness.However, the guide means for attaching further containers or furtherblock housings may be provided in a similar manner as described above.In such a large container the slides may lie above one another, adjacentto one another, or back to back, and there are of course alsocombinations of all these possibilities.

The combination of the aforementioned features results in a containerwhich provides operating convenience with economy of material and asmall number of individual parts. Assembly work is also simplified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Further details of the invention areprovided in the following description of some embodiments illustrated inthe annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of the container in separatedcondition.

FIG. 2 is a section through part of the catch means on line II of FIG.1, but with the drawer inserted in the case.

FIG. 3 is a view of the container with the drawer fitted in the case butin its outer position, a recordingtape cassette being placed on thedrawer.

FIG. 4 is a section on line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a section corresponding to that of FIG. 4, but with thedrawer fully inserted into the case.

FIG. 6 is a partial section on line VIVI of FIG. 3 and on a largerscale, the drawer, located in its inner position, being shown bydash-and-dot lines. I

FIG. 7 is a section on line VII-VII of FIG. 3, with the spring omittedand with portions of background also omitted for clarity of detail. 7

FIG. 8 is a section through a further form of the catch means.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of that part of the case that cooperateswith the catch means shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a section through another form of catch means.

FIG. 1 1 is a perspective view of the form of retaining device shown inFIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a modified form of case with the drawerremoved.

FIG. 13 is a transverse section view of the case of FIG. 12 and taken ona section line as indicated at 13 in FIG. 15.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal section view of the case of FIG. 12 with thedrawer assembled therewith.

FIG. 15 is a section view similar to FIG. 14 but with the drawer shownin open position.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the case and drawer with the index cardinserted.

FIG. 17 is a detail section view taken at line 17 in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 illustrates details of the base and lugs of the drawer withoutthe cardboard label, and includes FIG. 18a which is a detail sectionview taken approximately at line XVIIXVIII in FIG. 16, and also includesFIG. 18b which is a detail elevation view of the portions of FIG. 18a asviewed from the left in FIG. 18a.

FIG. '19 is a detailed view of the insert card.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the insert card assembled into the opendra'wer of the container.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 20, but showing the draweropening in a vertical position.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of two containers about to be joinedtogether in a manner different from the arrangement shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 23 is a cross section similar to FIG. 7 but following the line 23of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a rear perspective view of an additional modified formshowing two cases in partial assembly.

FIG. 25 is a rear elevation view of the cases of FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is a front perspective view of the cases of FIG. 24 shown instacked and side-by-side relation.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket in partialassembly with a stack of cases.

FIG. 29 is an elevation view showing the mounting of the bracket to awall.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of thebracket.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a stack of cases and a carrying handlepartially assembled therewith.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the carrying handle fully assembledwith a stack of cases.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of carryinghandle for a block of cases.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a single case with a multiplicity ofdrawer-receiving compartments.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of another form of case with amultiplicity of drawer compartments oriented in stacked and side-by-siderelation.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a case with a multiplicity of drawercompartments arranged in back-toback relation and illustrating one ofthe drawers at the rear of the case in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION The container illustrated in FIGS. 1to 7 comprises a case 1, a slide or endless 2, and a spring 3. The case1 is rectangular and flat, and matches the shape of recording-tapecassette 4 (FIG. 3). The drawer 2 has rear wall 5 which is connected toa front wall 7 by a base plate 6. The base plate 6 is provided with twotabs 8 which, as seen in FIG. 3, are intended to engage in openings inthe winding cores of the cassette 4 and to prevent the tape fromunwinding in the cassette. As can be seen in particular from FIG. 1, thebase plate 6 has a slot which extends in the direction of movement ofthe drawer 2 and in which a guide projection 11 on the case 1 canengage. As seen from FIG. 7 the edges of the slot 10 and of the guideprojection 11 have interengaging ridges l2 and 13 which prevent thedrawer 2 from lifting away from the wall of the case 1. As can be seenin particular from FIGS. 1 and 6, the case has two slots 14 which extendin the direction of movement of the drawer 2. Rectangular pins 15,formed on the drawer 2, engage in the slots 14. Together with the pins15, the slots 14 forms means for limiting the movements of the drawer 2in the case 1 between an inner, closed position, in which the front 7 ofthe case 1 is closed by the front wall of the drawer, and an outer, openposition, in which a cassette 4 can be placed on or removed from thedrawer 2. As seen from FIG. 6, the pins have inclined faces 16 at thefront as considered in the direction of insertion. The inclined faces 16serve to facilitate the initial assembly of the drawer 2 in the case 1.Thus when the drawer 2 is inserted into the case 1, the inclined faces16 deform the wall of the case 1 so that the wall moves away from thebase plate 6 of the drawer, and the base plate may also be deformedslightly. As soon as the pins 15 move into the slots 14, they snap inand form the above-mentioned stop which prevents further movement of thedrawer 2 out of the case 1.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 4, the rear wall 5 of the drawer 2 hasribs 17 which have surfaces 18 that slope downwardly away from the baseplate 6. Also, on the inner face of that wall of the case 1 opposite thebase plate 6, the case has guide ribs 20. As shown in FIG. 3 thedistance separating the guide ribs 20 is somewhat greater than thelength of the thicker portion of the cassette 4, as measuredtransversely of the direction of movement of the drawer, which thickerportion is for placing on the sound head of a tape apparatus. Also, thedimension 0 (FIG. 4), to the extent of which the guide 20 projects fromthe wall of the cassette 4, is somewhat greater than the dimensionalincrease b of the thicker portion 21 of the cassette 4, as compared withthe rest thereof. As will also be seen from FIG. 4, the guide ribs 20are somewhat shorter than the wall of the case 1, so that they do notextend to its edge. Furthermore, each of the ribs is chamfered at thatof its ends disposed near the mouth of the case 1.

The guide ribs 20 facilitate introduction of the cassette 4 into thecase 1. They hold the cassette 4 at such distance from the wall of thecase 1, that the thicker portion 21, when introduced into the case 1,cannot strike the edge of the wall on which the guide ribs 20 areprovided. If, on the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the drawer is movedupwards while the container is in the vertical position, the cassette 4slopes away from the base plate 6 of the drawer 2 under the effect ofthe inclined surfaces 18. As this happens, the cassette is supported atthe upper ends of the guide ribs 20, with the result that the lower edgeof the cassette, presented to the base plate 6, is urged towards thebase plate. Thus, the inclination of the cassette, facilitating itsremoval from the drawer, is increased. FIG. 5 shows the position of thecassette in the container when the drawer 2 is pushed into the case 1.In this position, the spring 3 is compressed between the end wall 5 ofthe cassette and the wall of the case 1.

As shown in particular in FIGS. 1 and 2, catch 19 for holding the drawer2 in the inner position in the case 1-includes a leaf spring 22 which isformed integrally with the drawer 2 and the flat face of which carries atooth 23 near its free end, which tooth is for engagement in an aperture24 in the case. Connected to the tooth is a push button 25 which extendslaterally from the leaf spring 22 on that side thereof remote from thetooth 23 and is disposed in the same plane as the front wall 7 of thedrawer 2. In the present construction, the leaf spring 22, the pushbutton 25 and the tooth 23 are produced integrally with the drawer 2 andare of a plastics material by injection molding.

As also shown in FIG. 2, the tooth 23 has an inclined face 9. When thedrawer 2 is pushed into the case by the application of, for example,finger pressure to the front wall 7, the spring 22 incorporating thepush button 25 is deflected by the inclined surface 9 when the tooth 23strikes the wall of the case 1, so that the tooth 23 is able to snapinto the incision 24. When the container is to be opened for the purposeof removing or inserting a cassette, all that is needed is to applyfinger pressure to the push button 25. The force that acts laterally onthe spring 22 causes the latter to deflect to the right, as viewed inFIG. 2, so that the tooth 23 slides out of the incision 24. The drawer 2can then be moved out of the case 1 by the spring 3 until the pins 15strike the ends of the slot 14. In this position, illustrated in FIGS. 3and 4, the cassette 4 can be removed from the container.

The case of the container shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 is provided withconnecting elements for detachably connecting the container to anadjacent similar container to form a block, these connecting elementstaking the form of guide tracks designed to be slid one into the other.As seen from the illustration in the drawing and particularly that ofFIG. 7, one of the guide tracks takes the form of an elongate projection26 having side faces 27 chamfered to dovetail form. The projection 26 isintended to be pushed into a recess 28 having a complementary crosssection. The recess 28 and the projection 26 are disposed parallel tothe direction of movement of the drawer 2 in the case 1. As shown inFIG. 7 the recess 28 is formed in the guide projection 11 on the case 1.This projection serves to guide the drawer 2. FIG. 7 illustrates twocontainers with their cases 1 interconnected. For the sake of clarity,one of the conainers is shown without a drawer 2 therein. It will beappreciated that not just two, but a large number of containers, can beinterconnected in this way.

From the figures described so far it can be seen that the spring 3 is acoil spring with a somewhat flattened cross section. Instead of using aspring of this shape, a leaf spring could be employed; another possiblesolution is the insertion of a foam plastics block spring. It is,however, preferable to use a normal coil spring of circular crosssection, i.e. a cylindrical coil spring. This necessitates safeguardsagainst buckling of the spring, however. Such an arrangement is nowdescribed with reference to the FIGS. 12 to 15.

FIGS. 8 to 11 show further possible forms of the drawer catch. Referringto FIGS. 8 and 9, the spring 22 of the catch 19' is not arranged withits face parallel to the plane of the base plate 6' as in FIG. 1, but atright angles thereto. The mode of operation of the retaining device,which in addition to the spring 22 includes a tooth 23 and a push button25 is the same as that already described. The tooth 23 is intended toengage in an incision 24 in a case 1' illustrated in FIG. 9. The parts22, 23' and 25 may be made integrally with a drawer 2 in the mannerpreviously described, and are preferably of plastics material.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a retaining device 119 in which a spring 122with a tooth 123 and push button 125 is provided on the case 101,spring, tooth and push button in fact being produced integrally with thecase. The drawer 102 movable in the case 101 has a lip 124 having aninclined surface 126 designed to cooperate with the tooth 123. When thedrawer is inserted, the inclined surface 126 pushes the tooth 123 awayso that the latter can snap into position behind the lip 124. Pressureapplied to the button 125 causes the spring 122 to deflect to the left,as seen in FIG. 11, so that the tooth 123 releases the lip 124 thus thedrawer 102 to enable the latter to move out of the case 101 under theaction of a spring, not illustrated.

FIG. 12 illustrates a case 1 with the spring 31 but without the drawer,while FIG. 13 is a cross section along the line l3" of FIG. FIGS. 14 and15 are a semi-schematic illustration of the container closed (FIG. 14)and opened (FIG. 15) drawer. As before, the case 1 has a flanged guideprojection 11 while the drawer 2 has the corresponding guide slot 10 ofcomplementary shape on its underside. The guide projection 1 l is nowprovided on its surface facing the drawer with a segment-shaped groove30, on which the cylindrical coil spring 31 is capable of beingsupported; according to experience such a guide is an adequate safeguardagainst buckling. As an alternative, or, as in the embodimentillustrated, in addition, it is also possible to provide in the upperside of the case, i.e., in the cover, in the region of the guide track26, a groove or a channel of segmental cross section for additionallateral support of the spring. Since the guide track which is providedfor stacking several containers requires a thickening of the case coverin this region, a decrease in this part of the cross section of thecover by the groove 32 can be accommodated. The upper groove 32 onlyextends as far as the rear edge of the portion of the cassette 21thickened by the dimension b (FIG. 15) when the drawer is inserted, sothat this guide groove finds sufficient space behind it without theinternal width of the housing having to be increased.

The FIGS. 16 to 21 are representations of details concerning theformation and attachment of an index inside the container. In thisfurther development of the invention a number of criteria for such alabel are taken into account: it should be simple to introduce into thecontainer both manually and automatically, and also be exchangeable; itshould nevertheless be safeguarded against unintentional removal;finally, the container should, in so far as alterations are necessaryfor accommodation of the label, not be made more expensive inproduction.

FIG. 16 is a semi-schematic plan view of case, drawer and label, thecase 1 with the drawer 2 and label 33 inserted in the drawer. The label(represented separately in plan view in FIG. 19) consists of stiff paperor cardboard, but may also consist, of course, of a flat piece ofplastics material. On both sides of the label are imprinted numberedinscription spaces, which on the other side of the label (shown in FIG.20) are upside down in relation to those shown in FIGS. 17, 19 and 21.The width of the label transverse of the direction of movement of thedrawer 2 is smaller than the width of the cassette laying above (notillustrated) so that when the cassette is removed the label is not takenwith it.

The drawer is provided with holding lugs 34, 39 which engage over thelabel and safeguard it from unintentional removal. A first holding lug34 is injection molded to the front wall 7 of the drawer on the inside.It is located above the slot 10 in the base of the drawer and thereforedoes not hinder the deformation of the drawer in the direction of thebase plate 6. The lug 34 has a locking surface 35 facing the label; thedistance between the locking surface 35 and the upper side of the baseplate 6 is sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the label, whichis elastically deformable in the region of a tongue 36 projecting fromthe front edge of the label. FIG. 17 is a cross section along line 17"in FIG. 16, and further illustrates the construction.

The label 33 furthermore possesses two U-shaped notches 37 (FIG. 19) sothat two more tongues 38 are produced. The notches 37 are guided overthe tabs 8 when introducing the label in the drawer, which tabs havealready been mentioned above and serve to secure the spools of acassette placed over the tabs. On each of these tabs 8 a further holdinglug 39 is provided which is formed in a similar manner to the lug 34(see FIG. 18) and behind the locking surface 40 of which tongues 38 canproject. For the same reason as was given for the lug 34, the lugs 39are arranged over lateral apertures in the base plate 6.

An inscription on the label may be read from the front if the containersare lying flat (FIG. 20); if the container is upright (FIG. 21), thelabel is turned around. The positioning of the label in the drawer iseffected substantially by the positive locking between the tabs 8 andthe sides of the U-shaped notches 37.

Another solution consists in that the drawer or the rear wall of thedrawer only is made transparent; the label then possesses a bent-up sideadapted to the dimensions of the rear wall, the inscription of which maybe read through the transparent rear wall.

It has already been explained above with reference to FIG. 7 how severalcontainers can be stacked. It has now been stated that the centralmounting track in a not too large number of containers is adequate; if,however, a large number of containers are to be stacked, the arrangementwhich is described in the following with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23 isrecommended.

FIG. 22 is a semi-schematic rear view of two containers about to bejoined together, while FIG. 23 is a cross section along line "23" inFIG. 22.

It is possible to see the two cases 1, which each possess on theirlarger upper external surfaces the main guide track 26 with a dovetailcross section, and on the underlying large external surface the guidegroove 28 which is complementary to the main guide track. Thus far thearrangement agrees with that according to FIG. 7. Track 26 and groove 28do not, however, extend as far as the front edge 41 of the housing; thegroove is closed in this region (42 in FIG. 23). The same applies to theauxiliary guide tracks 43, 43 with the auxiliary grooves 44, '44associated therewith, the auxiliary tracks and grooves beingshorter thanthe main tracks 26 and grooves 28. In this manner the joining procedureis simplified because the container to be inserted is first of all laidflat and then only the main track aligned; the positioning of theauxiliary tracks then takes care of itself. The auxiliary tracks allhave a half dovetail cross section with lateral surfaces 47, 47' whichare parallel to the dovetail surfaces 27 or 27 of the main guide track.This is therefore particularly advantageous because the molds are notsubstantially more complicated for the injection molding of the housing1 because the surfaces 47, 47' are parallel to the surfaces 27 or 27'.The same applies to the grooves 28 and 44 or 44'. Also, in the case ofthe grooves of the auxiliary guide tracks there appear on the undersideof the housing closed areas or end walls 45, 45 Together with the areaor end wall 42 they form stops which limit the introduction movement ofthe two housing 1 relative to one another. Additional space is notclaimed by the auxiliary grooves, since the cassette 21, on account ofthe height required for the drawer base 6, leaves free marginal sectionsinside the case which are thus utilized.

In order to prevent unintentional release of the stacked containers,wedge-shaped projections 46 are provided which, owing to their slope,elastically deform the base of the case during stacking, but then springinto the slots of apertures 14 which, as mentioned above (FIGS. 1, 3,6), are accommodated in the base of the housing as stops for the drawer.

FIGS. 24 to 26 illustrate how a block formation is made possible byjoining together several containers laterally. Corresponding cases 1 areshown in FIG. 24 at the moment of joining together, in FIG. 25 in rearview, and in FIG. 26 in perspective view.

The case shape according to FIGS. 22, 23 is supplemented here by similarjoining tracks and receiving grooves on the narrow sides of the casewhich extend parallel to the direction of movement of the drawer. Whatwas stated with respect to the main guide tracks 26 and the auxiliaryguide tracks concerning length similarly applies to these elements.

The narrow sides 50, 50' of the cases are provided with a dovetailsection guide tracks 51 and with a receiving guide groove 52complementary to the latter. Tracks and grooves begin on the rear edges57 and 57' but do not extend fully to the front edges 53, 53, so that inthe block formation only straight continuous lines 54 between theindividual containers are visible; at the same time the end edge 55 ofthe track 51 forms a stop which cooperates with the end edge 56 of therespective groove.

Safety means similar to the projections 46 in FIGS. 22 and 23 may alsobe provided here as a safeguard against unintentional removal. Thesesafety means with associated apertures are not illustrated again inFIGS. 24 to 26, however.

It is possible to see in FIG. 26 how a container (above left) isintroduced into an already formed block by introduction from the front.

If a block of a plurality of containers has to be securely mounted in amotor vehicle, a boat, or the like, it is advantageous to make use of amounting bracket, details of which are explained in the following withreference to FIGS. 27 to 30.

Each of the containers forming the container block according to FIGS. 28to 30 has in its case 1 the main tracks 26 and auxiliary guide tracks43, 43' arranged on the upper side. On the underside of each containercase 1 are the guide groovescomplementary to the tracks 26, 43, 43,which grooves cannot be seen in the FIGS. 27 to 30. By this means theindividual containers are joined together to form a block of optionalheight.

To mount this block, for example, on a flat horizontal, vertical or eveninclined surface, the right angle bracket 60 is used. The sides haveslide-in guides on the inside and the limb 61 has grooves which are of acomplementary shape to the guides 26, 43, 43, while the limb 62 hassimilar slide-in guide tracks 26', 43'. On using the limb 61 as amounting the arrangement shown in FIG. 28 is produced, whereas if thelimb 62 is used, the upright mounting according to FIG. 29 is produced.

Both limbs also have mounting holes 63 by means of which the one limbcan be screwed onto a surface (FIG. 29) if the other limb is engagedwith a container block. If the holes 63 have chamfers for counter-sunkscrews the side engaged with the block can itself accommodate screws.

FIG. 30 shows that the mounting bracket may have alternativeproportions; in this illustration a container block of two by fourcontainers is illustrated, which block is mounted by a mounting bracket64 with double sets of slide-in guides. Just as one of the brackets 60,64 may be used in mounting a container block, it is conversely alsopossible to use the guide tracks on the uppermost container case of ablock to attach a handle for carrying, by means of which a block ofcontainers can be carried conveniently without necessitating a case, bagor the like. This is shown in FIGS. 31 to 33.

FIG. 31 shows how a handle 71 formed like a cutaway box is pushed onto acontainer block 70; the handle naturally has the receiving grooves forthe main and auxiliary guide tracks 26 and 43, 43 of the uppermostcontainer. For carrying, the user gets hold of the handle as shown inFIG. 32. In the case of a block 73 of double width, a handle 72 ofdouble width is similarly used, according to FIG. 33. It will be clearthat different forms of handle are conceivable.

The FIGS. 34 to 36 show that it is also possible to produce a largecontainer according to the invention which accommodated more than onedrawer. The drawers may be arranged one on top of the other incompartments (FIG. 34), above and next to one another (FIG. 35), orfinally back to back (FIG. 36); clearly the possibilities according tothe two lastmentioned figures may be combined.

Nevertheless, the large container can also be extended by theabove-mentioned slide guides in that individual containers or largecontainers may be pushed on. It should be mentioned here that in theinstance of the container according to FIG. 35, for two compartmentslying next to each other only one main and two auxiliary guide tracksare provided; this container can therefore also be extended only bydouble containers with complementary receiving grooves.

The invention provides a container for cassettes, especially recordingtape cassettes, which can be handled in an extremely convenient manner.As seen from FIGS. 1 annd 3, the base plate 6 is substantially narrowerthan the cassette 4 placed thereon. The sides of the drawer aretherefore omitted so that the cassette can be readily gripped at thesides with two fingers or with finger and thumb, so that no change ofgrip is required for insertion into the play-back apparatus. Insertionof the drawer into the container by the application of pressure to thefront wall 7, and the moving of the drawer 2 from the container bypressure on the push button 25 enable the container to be handled in asimple manner in practically all circumstances, for example in a car,and in all positions of the container. The container consists of twoparts made of plastics material and of a spring. The parts of plasticsmaterial are so shaped that they can be produced in simple operationsand with simple molds by injection molding.

I claim:

1. A container for a tape cassette, the container comprising a case withan open front, a cassette-carrying slide mounted in the case for slidingmovement between an outer, open position in which a cassette can beplaced upon or withdrawn from the slide and an inner closed position,the slide being open sided and including a base plate having an upper,cassettesupporting surface and having front portions adjacent the openfront of the case, means retaining a tape cassette on the base plate, aspring continuously biasing the slide towards the open position, stopmeans defining the open position and restraining further movement of theslide out of the case, and releasable catch means movable between alocking position for holding the slide in the closed position and arelease position permitting the slide to move outwardly through the openend of the case into the open position under the influence of thespring; the slide having open and unobstructed space at the open sidesthereof and adjacent the front portion of the base plate to entirelyexpose edges of a cassette supported on the base plate so that acassette supported on the base plate can be securely grasped by itsexposed side edges and removed therefrom.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein the slide has a front wallcooperating with the open end of the case to completely close the openend when the slide is in its inner, closed position.

3. A container according to claim 1 wherein the base plate is providedwith a slot which extends in the direction in which the slide is movableand in which engages a guide projection on the case for guiding theslide.

4. A container according to claim 2 wherein the slide has a rear wallwith at least one cassette-engaging inner surface which slopes upwardlyand rearwardly away from the base plate and wherein the case is providedwith an upper wall having a lower face with guide ribs which extend inthe direction of movement of the slide and which are arranged to urge acassette into seating location on the base plate as the slide is closed.

5. A container according to claim 1, wherein the slide and the case areprovided with an inter-engaging pin and slot, one on the slide and theother on the case, the slot extending in the direction of movement ofthe slide, and the ends of the slot forming stops for the pin for thepurpose of limiting movement of the slide.

6. A container according to claim 5, wherein the pin has at its forwardend an inclined surface which facilitates introduction of the slide intothe case.

7. The container according to claim 1 wherein the base plate is providedwith a pair of tabs aligned normal to the direction of slide movementfor engagement in openings in the winding cores of a cassette.

8. A container according to claim 1 wherein the catch means includes acantilevered leaf spring extending forwardly in the direction ofmovement of the slide with its forward end having a tooth arranged toengage a recess, and a push button movable to disengage the tooth fromthe recess.

9. A container according to claim 8, wherein the leaf spring, the pushbutton, and the tooth are integral with the slide or the case.

10. A container according to claim 8, wherein the leaf spring, the pushbutton and the tooth are integral with the slide and the detent isformed by an aperture in the case.-

11. A container according to claim 1, wherein the case has externalguide tracks designed to slide into other tracks for the purpose ofdetachably connecting the case to an adjacent like case to form a block.

12. A container according to claim 11, wherein the guide tracks are ofdovetail form.

13. A container according to claim 1, wherein the spring is a coilspring formed about a notional core of elongate cross section.

14. A container according to claim 1, wherein the spring is acylindrical coil spring and the case has spring guides to prevent thespring from buckling.

15. A container for a tape cassette comprising a case with top, bottomand side walls, a rear wall, and an open front; a cassette-carryingslide mounted in the case for sliding movement through the open frontbetween an outer, cassette-exposing position and an innet, closedposition, the slide having a base plate with a cassette-supportingsurface and means retaining a cassette on the base plate; the containerincluding an interior guide comprising a pair of elongated, closelyspaced, parallel guide projections and means defining a pair of guideprojection-receiving slots provided on confronting surfaces of the baseplate and case, one pair on the base plate and the other pair on thecase with the projections in sliding engagement with the slots, theguide projections and slots extending in the direction of slidingmovement of the slide and positioned approximately midway between theside walls of the case, the projections and slots being mutuallyconfigured to restrain movement of the slide transversely of thedirection of sliding movement and co-acting to guide the slide smoothlyinto and out of the case.

16. The container of claim 15 wherein the interior guide track providedon the bottom wall of the container includes a longitudinal reinforcingguide plate provided on the latter wall in alginment with the dovetailtrack on the other surface of the wall, and wherein the latter dove-tailtrack is formed into that portion of the bottom wall reinforced by theguide plate.

17. The container according to claim 15 wherein a spring extends alongthe interior guide and biases the slide to open position, and the casehaving a spring guide groove of segmental cross section in one of saidwalls and extending along said interior guide, the groove confining thespring against transverse movement as the slide moves between inner andouter positions.

18. A container for a tape cassette comprising, a case with top, bottomand side walls, a rear wall and an open front with exterior surfaces ofboth the top and bottom walls each having a pair of parallel, stackingdove-tails along their edges adjacent the side walls and a centralstacking dove-tail approximately midway between the side walls andparallel to the pair of dove-tails; a cassette-carrying slide mounted inthe case for sliding movement through the open front between an outer,cassette-exposing position and an inner, closed position, the slideincluding a base plate with an upper, cassette-supporting surface andmeans retaining a cassette on the base plate; mating slide tracksprovided on confronting surfaces of the base plate and bottom case walland extending in the direction of sliding movement of the slide, theslide track on the bottom case wall being aligned with and on theopposite side of the bottom case wall from the central dove-tail; thecentral dovetail being engageable with the central dove-tail ofidentical abutting containers for mutual support between containersagainst warping of adjacent cases to thereby assure smooth, slidingmovement of the slides into and out of the cases.

19. The container of claim 18 wherein the base plate includes anelongated, slot-shaped recess having confronting inner edges slidablyengaging outer longitudinal edges of the guide plate.

20. A container according to claim 11 wherein a spring guide groove ofsegmental cross section is accommodated within the said guide tracks.

21. A container accoridng to claim 7 including a label having spacedslots and which can be placed upon the base plate with the tabsextending through the slots to restrain unintentional removal of thelabel.

22. A container according to claim 21 wherein the label is made of stiffflat material and has two resilient tongues that can be snapped in underholding lugs provided on the slide.

23. A container according to claim 21, wherein matter printed on onesurface of the label is repeated upside down on the other side of thelabel.

24. A container according to claim 11, wherein auxiliary guide tracksare provided close to the edges of the case and parallel to the mainguide tracks.

25. A container according to claim 24, wherein the main guide tracks areof dovetail cross section and the auxiliary guide tracks are of halfdovetail cross section.

26. A container according to claim 11, wherein the tracks do not extendover the whole length of the case.

27. A container according to claim 24, wherein the auxiliary tracks areshorter than the main tracks.

28. A container according to claim 11, wherein the guide tracks extendfrom the rear edge of the case and stop short of the front edge.

29. A container according to claim 5, wherein t0 facilitate rigidstacking of containers locking pins are provided on the case forengaging an end of the said slots.

30. A container according to claim 11 wherein guide tracks are providedin adjoining exterior sides of the case which extend parallel to thedirection of movement of the slide.

31. A container according to claim 30, wherein none of the guide tracksextend the full length of the case and all of the tracks stop short ofthe front face of the case.

32. A container according to claim 11, and a mounting bracket havingguide tracks adapted to engage and fit with at least some of the guidetracks on the case.

33. A container according to claim 1 l, and a carrying handle adapted toengage and fit onto at least some of the guide tracks on the case.

34. A container according to claim 1, wherein the case is formed in onepiece to accommodate several slides arranged above, next to or behindone another.

35. A container for a tape cassette, comprising:

a case having top, bottom and side walls, a rear wall and an open front;

a cassette-supporting slide slidable into and out of the open front ofthe case, between an outer, cassetteexposing position and an inner,cassette-storing closed position, the slide having a bottom base platewith an upper, cassette-supporting surface, and a front wall on theslide adjacent the open front of the case and confronting a long edge ofthe cassette, the slide being free of obstructions preventingsubstantially free one-hand access to short edges of an exposed tapecassette lying on the base plate;

a spring positioned between confronting surfaces of the slide and caseand biasing the slide toward its open position;

stop means defining the outer position of the slide and retaining theslide at least partially within the case; slide-orienting guidecomprising guide projections and projection-receiving slots between thebottom wall of the case and a confronting surface of the slide andextending in the direction of sliding movement to guide the slide withrespect to the case and to restrain the slide from movement in anytransverse direction relative to such sliding movement; and

1. A container for a tape cassette, the container comprising a case withan open front, a cassette-carrying slide mounted in the case for slidingmovement between an outer, open position in which a cassette can beplaced upon or withdrawn from the slide and an inner closed position,the slide being open sided and including a base plate having an upper,cassette-supporting surface and having front portions adjacent the openfront of the case, means retaining a tape cassette on the base plate, aspring continuously biasing the slide towards the open position, stopmeans defining the open position and restraining further movement of theslide out of the case, and releasable catch means movable between alocking position for holding the slide in the closed position and arelease position permitting the slide to move outwardly through the openend of the case into the open position under the influence of thespring; the slide having open and unobstructed space at the open sidesthereof and adjacent the front portion of the base plate to entirelyexpose edges of a cassette supported on the base plate so that acassette supported on the base plate can be securely grasped by itsexposed side edges and removed therefrom.
 2. A container according toclaim 1 wherein the slide has a front wall cooperating with the open endof the case to completely close the open end when the slide is in itsinner, closed position.
 3. A container according to claim 1 wherein thebase plate is provided with a slot which extends in the direction inwhich the slide is movable and in which engages a guide projection onthe case for guiding the slide.
 4. A container according to claim 2wherein the slide has a rear wall with at least one cassette-engaginginner surface which slopes upwardly and rearwardly away from the baseplate and wherein the case is provided with an upper wall having a lowerface with guide ribs which extend in the direction of movement of theslide and which are arranged to urge a cassette into seating location onthe base plate as the slide is closed.
 5. A container according to claim1, wherein the slide and the case are provided with an inter-engagingpin and slot, one on the slide and the other on the case, the slotextending in the direction of movement of the slide, and the ends of theslot forming stops for the pin for the purpose of limiting movement ofthe slide.
 6. A container according to claim 5, wherein the pin has atits forward end an inclined surface which facilitates introduction ofthe slide into the case.
 7. The container according to claim 1 whereinthe base plate is provided with a pair of tabs aligned normal to thedirection of slide movement for engagement in openings in the windingcores of a cassette.
 8. A container according to claim 1 wherein thecatch means includes a cantilevered leaf spring extending forwardly inthe direction of movement of the slide with its forward end having atooth arranged to engage a recess, and a push button movable todisengage the tooth from the recess.
 9. A container according to claim8, wherein the leaf spring, the push button, and the tooth are integralwith the slide or the case.
 10. A container according to claim 8,wherein the leaf spring, the push button and the tooth are integral withthe slide and the detent is formed by an aperture in the case.
 11. Acontainer according to claim 1, wherein the case has external guidetracks designed to slide into other tracks for the purpose of detachablyconnecting the case to an adjacent like case to form a block.
 12. Acontainer according to claim 11, wherein the guide tracks are ofdovetail form.
 13. A container according to claim 1, wherein the springis a coil spring formed about a notional core of elongate cross section.14. A container according to claim 1, wherein the spring is acylindrical coil spring and the case has spring guides to prevent thespring from buckling.
 15. A container for a tape cassette comprising acase with top, bottom and side walls, a rear wall, and an open front; acassette-carrying slide mounted in the case for sliding movement throughthe open front between an outer, cassette-exposing position and aninner, closed position, the slide having a base plate with acassette-supporting surface and means retaining a cassette on the baseplate; the container including an interior guide comprising a pair ofelongated, closely spaced, parallel guide projections and means defininga pair of guide projection-receiving slots provided on confrontingsurfaces of the base plate and case, one pair on the base plate and theother pair on the case with the projections in sliding engagement withthe slots, the guide projections and slots extending in the direction ofsliding movement of the slide and positioned approximately midwaybetween the side walls of the case, the projections and slots beingmutually configured to restrain movement of the slide transversely ofthe direction of sliding movement and co-acting to guide the slidesmoothly into and out of the case.
 16. The container of claim 15 whereinthe interior guide track provided on the bottom wall of the containerincludes a longitudinal reinforcing guide plate provided on the latterwall in Alginment with the dove-tail track on the other surface of thewall, and wherein the latter dove-tail track is formed into that portionof the bottom wall reinforced by the guide plate.
 17. The containeraccording to claim 15 wherein a spring extends along the interior guideand biases the slide to open position, and the case having a springguide groove of segmental cross section in one of said walls andextending along said interior guide, the groove confining the springagainst transverse movement as the slide moves between inner and outerpositions.
 18. A container for a tape cassette comprising, a case withtop, bottom and side walls, a rear wall and an open front with exteriorsurfaces of both the top and bottom walls each having a pair ofparallel, stacking dove-tails along their edges adjacent the side wallsand a central stacking dove-tail approximately midway between the sidewalls and parallel to the pair of dove-tails; a cassette-carrying slidemounted in the case for sliding movement through the open front betweenan outer, cassette-exposing position and an inner, closed position, theslide including a base plate with an upper, cassette-supporting surfaceand means retaining a cassette on the base plate; mating slide tracksprovided on confronting surfaces of the base plate and bottom case walland extending in the direction of sliding movement of the slide, theslide track on the bottom case wall being aligned with and on theopposite side of the bottom case wall from the central dove-tail; thecentral dove-tail being engageable with the central dove-tail ofidentical abutting containers for mutual support between containersagainst warping of adjacent cases to thereby assure smooth, slidingmovement of the slides into and out of the cases.
 19. The container ofclaim 18 wherein the base plate includes an elongated, slot-shapedrecess having confronting inner edges slidably engaging outerlongitudinal edges of the guide plate.
 20. A container according toclaim 11 wherein a spring guide groove of segmental cross section isaccommodated within the said guide tracks.
 21. A container accoridng toclaim 7 including a label having spaced slots and which can be placedupon the base plate with the tabs extending through the slots torestrain unintentional removal of the label.
 22. A container accordingto claim 21 wherein the label is made of stiff flat material and has tworesilient tongues that can be snapped in under holding lugs provided onthe slide.
 23. A container according to claim 21, wherein matter printedon one surface of the label is repeated upside down on the other side ofthe label.
 24. A container according to claim 11, wherein auxiliaryguide tracks are provided close to the edges of the case and parallel tothe main guide tracks.
 25. A container according to claim 24, whereinthe main guide tracks are of dovetail cross section and the auxiliaryguide tracks are of half dovetail cross section.
 26. A containeraccording to claim 11, wherein the tracks do not extend over the wholelength of the case.
 27. A container according to claim 24, wherein theauxiliary tracks are shorter than the main tracks.
 28. A containeraccording to claim 11, wherein the guide tracks extend from the rearedge of the case and stop short of the front edge.
 29. A containeraccording to claim 5, wherein to facilitate rigid stacking of containerslocking pins are provided on the case for engaging an end of the saidslots.
 30. A container according to claim 11 wherein guide tracks areprovided in adjoining exterior sides of the case which extend parallelto the direction of movement of the slide.
 31. A container according toclaim 30, wherein none of the guide tracks extend the full length of thecase and all of the tracks stop short of the front face of the case. 32.A container according to claim 11, and a mounting bracket having guidetracks adapted to engage and fit with at least some of the guide trackson The case.
 33. A container according to claim 11, and a carryinghandle adapted to engage and fit onto at least some of the guide trackson the case.
 34. A container according to claim 1, wherein the case isformed in one piece to accommodate several slides arranged above, nextto or behind one another.
 35. A container for a tape cassette,comprising: a case having top, bottom and side walls, a rear wall and anopen front; a cassette-supporting slide slidable into and out of theopen front of the case, between an outer, cassette-exposing position andan inner, cassette-storing closed position, the slide having a bottombase plate with an upper, cassette-supporting surface, and a front wallon the slide adjacent the open front of the case and confronting a longedge of the cassette, the slide being free of obstructions preventingsubstantially free one-hand access to short edges of an exposed tapecassette lying on the base plate; a spring positioned betweenconfronting surfaces of the slide and case and biasing the slide towardits open position; stop means defining the outer position of the slideand retaining the slide at least partially within the case; aslide-orienting guide comprising guide projections andprojection-receiving slots between the bottom wall of the case and aconfronting surface of the slide and extending in the direction ofsliding movement to guide the slide with respect to the case and torestrain the slide from movement in any transverse direction relative tosuch sliding movement; and a releasable catch mounted between the slideand the case, the catch including a tooth and a tooth-receiving recessprovided one on the slide and the other on the case, and exteriorlyaccessible means operable with one hand for biasing the tooth out of therecess to permit the slide to move into its open position.
 36. Acontainer for a tape cassette, the latter having long and short sideedges with a tape exposed at a long edge, the container comprising: a.an integral case having substantially closed top, bottom and side walls,a substantially closed rear wall and an open front, the side walls beingspaced to accommodate therebetween the long edge of a tape cassette; b.an integral, cassette-supporting U-shaped slide slidable into and out ofthe open front of the case between an outer, cassette-exposing positionand an inner, cassette-storing position, the slide having a bottom baseplate with an upper, cassette-supporting surface and having front andrear walls at ends of the base plate and spaced to receive a tapecassette therebetween with the long, tape-exposing edge of the cassettelying along the front wall, the width of the base plate being less thanthe width of the front wall and the slide being free of obstructionspreventing free access to opposed short edges of a cassette, which areexposed when the slide is in its outer position; c. a stop comprisingabutting surfaces integrally formed into the slide and case, the stopdefining the outer position of the slide and retaining the slide atleast partially within the case; d. a coil spring mounted within thecase between confronting surfaces of the rear walls of the slide andcase with its axis parallel to the axis of sliding movement of the slideto bias the latter into its outer position; e. elongated, mating guidesformed into confronting surfaces of the base plate and bottom wall ofthe case and oriented parallel to the direction of sliding movement ofthe slide to restrain the slide from movement transverse to thedirection of sliding movement into and out of the case; and f. areleasable, spring-loaded catch mounted between the slide and the case,the catch comprising a tooth and a tooth-receiving recess formedintegrally one into the slide and one into the case, and exteriorlyaccessable escape means for biasing apart the tooth and tooth receivingrecess to permit the slide to move into its outer position; whereby acAssette supported on the slide may be gripped with one hand along itsopposed, short edges and, without changing the grip, may be removed fromthe container and inserted into a play-back apparatus.
 37. The containerof claim 36 wherein the front walls are continuously joined solely bythe base plate and wherein the front wall is dimensioned tosubstantially close the open front of the case when the slide is in itsinner, cassette-storing position.
 38. The container of claim 37 whereinthe slide includes an integral, forwardly cantilevered leaf springbearing the tooth and wherein the escape means comprises a push buttonformed on the forward end of the leaf spring and forming part of thefront wall of the slide.
 39. A container for a tape cassette, comprisinga case with an open front; a cassette-carrying slide mounted in the casefor sliding movement through the open front between an outer, open,cassette-exposing position and an inner, closed, cassette-storingposition, the slide including a base plate with a cassette-supportingsurface and means retaining a tape cassette on the base plate; stopmeans defining the open position and retaining the slide at leastpartially within the case; a spring biasing the slide toward its openposition; and the slide and case having a latch mechanism includinglatch and keeper elements of which one is movable by one hand relativeto the slide and case to release the latch mechanism and allow the slideto move into its open position under the influence of the spring; theslide and case being so constructed and arranged as to present sideedges of a cassette adjacent the front wall for grasping with one handwhen the slide is moved to its open position.
 40. The container of claim39 wherein sides of the slide are open and unobstructed adjacent thefront wall for the full height of the front wall, facilitating graspinga cassette with one hand.
 41. The container of claim 39 wherein the rearwall of the cassette includes a cassette-confronting surface whichslopes obliquely away from the base plate to allow a cassette to tiltaway from the base plate when the container is oriented for verticalsliding movement of the slide.
 42. A container for a tape cassettecomprising a case with an open front; a cassette-carrying slide mountedin the case for sliding movement through the open front between anouter, cassette-exposing position and an inner, closed, cassette-storingposition, the slide including a base plate with a surface supporting thebottom surface of a cassette and a spring biasing the slide into itsopen position, means retaining a cassette on the slide; stop meansdefining the outer slide position and retaining the slide at leastpartially within the case; and releasable catch means for holding theslide in its closed position; the base plate having a recess extendinginwardly toward its center from at least one edge to expose a portion ofthe bottom surface of a tape cassette and enable the top and bottom of acassette on the slide in the outer position to be grasped with one handand removed from the container.